What to Read

Everything You Need to Know About Abortion for Teens
Janet Morana
TAN Books, 240 pages

The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling did not “win” the war over abortion for the pro-life side, but only ushered it into a new phase. Attacks on the dignity of life have intensified, and so must our efforts to defend it. The primary battle is not over law, but over the hearts and minds of people — perhaps in a special way those of young adults for whom abortion has been legal all their lives. This book explains the facts about abortion, its harm, and its moral considerations in language accessible to teens while respecting their intellect, often using real-life stories. It can also empower adult readers to help lead younger people to the truth.

St. Dymphna’s Playbook: A Catholic Guide to Finding Mental and Emotional Well-Being 
Tommy Tighe
Ave Maria Press, 224 pages

Tommy Tighe, a licensed marriage and family therapist who is familiar to many as a Catholic podcaster on mental health issues, offers Catholic leaders the tools for helping individuals who suffer mental health illnesses and challenges such as anxiety, depression, or grief and to lead them to healing. His holistic approach involves coming to understand the source of the struggle and then applying both therapeutic and spiritual practices to help guide the individual toward wellness. 
It is also useful as a source 
of guided self-care for those who are working their way through an emotional or personal crisis.

Faith of Our Fathers: 
A History of True England
Joseph Pearce
Ignatius Press, 384 pages

Historically, England was a Catholic nation that brought forth many saints, up to and including the martyrs who were killed during the 16th-century English Reformation that began with King Henry VIII breaking away from papal authority and establishing his own national church. A long persecution of Catholics quickly followed. This history of “true England” — Catholic England — pays tribute to the holy ones who remained faithful and to later English heroes of Catholicism such as St. John Henry Newman, Robert Hugh Benson, G.K. Chesterton, and J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s an excellent record of the survival of the Church founded by Christ despite the efforts of those who would have extinguished it.